


Together

by spiritcrimson



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Not Shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:56:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4422224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritcrimson/pseuds/spiritcrimson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You started without me, Near?” </p><p>Near’s eyes widen for a split second as he glances at the warehouse entrance. Mello stands at the entrance. He holds a bar of chocolate in his hand, the foil halfway down. He breaks a piece off from it with his teeth.</p><p>[Death Note AU one shot, mostly canon-compliant, except the ending.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is basically me living in my delusional little world, a world where Mello and Matt survive.  
> Disclaimer: Death Note doesn't belong to me. If it did, L, Mello and Matt would be alive, not dead.

Even as he confidently shouts out to Lidner and Takada, insisting Takada go with him, he can feel his heart pounding in his chest. Mello’s not stupid, he knows the risk involved.

Lidner glances at Mello. She can’t make out his expression behind the black helmet, but she knows she can trust Mello. She means it when she assures Takada that it’s okay to trust him. She knows Mello has this planned out.

“It’s okay, you can trust him. Go.” Lidner tells Takada. Takada simply nods and walks over to where Mello waits. She climbs up and sits, wrapping her arms around his middle.

Mello takes a deep breath. This is it. He speeds out of the area, Takada holding on to him tightly. He almost would have laughed at the amount of trust she’s putting into him, but he doesn’t. He simply keeps up his speed, knowing full well that Lidner has sent cars after him. She, unlike Takada, doesn’t trust him completely. This brings a small smile to his lips as he makes a sudden, sharp turn, riding straight into a small alley that’s located between two buildings. He knows the cars can’t follow him in there. He had counted on this very thing. He knew Lidner would send people after him, which is why he’d selected this particular route. So far, it’s all going as planned. He feels Takada’s grip loosening around him as she finally realizes what’s going on.

“Wh-where are we going? Where’s Lidner…?” She manages weakly.

Mello finally slows down. He rides the bike straight into the back of a truck parked on the street. Once inside, he turns the engine off. Takada gets off the bike and stands there, her knees quivering. It’s a wonder she’s still able to stand upright and not collapse in fear. She knows who this guy is. Light had told her about him. She’s not seen his face, but she knows his name. It won’t be too difficult for her to see his face. Once he takes his helmet off, that will be her chance. She knows she can pull this off, just like Light had wanted her to.

Mello gets off the bike and closes the door behind him, standing there for a moment, thinking over the situation. Takada is now facing him. Mello makes a move to slowly reach for his helmet, lifting it ever so slowly, almost hesitantly. Takada remains still, holding her breath, trying not to show any emotion other than fear. It’s not very hard, considering she could very possibly die if she messes this up. The fear comes very naturally to her.

Mello is halfway through lifting his helmet when he pauses.

* * *

Once he fires his flare gun, shrouding the area in smoke, giving Mello his window of opportunity, Matt knows he needs to get the fuck away from there. So he turns his car around in full speed, going back the way he came from. He knows Takada’s bodyguards are going to be on his tail now, just like he and Mello had anticipated. This will give Mello the chance to get away with Takada.

Matt increases the speed, maneuvering the car perfectly so as to avoid crashing into any of the vehicles in his way. He glances in the rearview mirror and laughs. The cars haven’t caught up to him yet. He pulls a cigarette out of his pocket as he continues to keep one hand on the steering wheel. He can’t afford to slack now. He puts the cigarette between his teeth, then pulls the lighter out. He lights the cigarette and picks up speed once again, when he sees the cars fast closing in on him.

 _Time to put your superior video game skills to use, Matt. What have all those racing games taught you? Just drive straight, pick up more speed and keep driving_. Matt accelerates, driving straight.

He’s well aware of the risk he and Mello are taking by carrying out this plan. Mello had given him a chance to back out, if he wanted. Honestly, Matt could have said no and Mello wouldn’t hold it against him. But there was something that made Matt stay. It had a lot to do with his undying loyalty to his blond friend, someone he’d always admired.

He breaks out of his thoughts, taking a drag from his cigarette. He looks in front of him and comes to a screeching halt. Well shit, he thinks. He sees the cars behind him catching up, but what concerns him more is the line of cars blocking his path just ahead. He is trapped. He can neither turn around, nor can he push forward. He briefly considers driving straight through the cars, but figures it’s a huge gamble. It could lead to explosions, and while it’s true the men blocking his path will die, it won’t be any better for him. He knows one thing for sure; he doesn’t plan on dying today. He opens the door, is about to step out, hoping to strike up some kind of negotiation, but thinks better of it. He shuts the door once more. He can hear Mello’s words clearly in his head, warning him to think his actions through, should he find himself in a difficult spot. These are Takada’s bodyguards, all of these people. Since Takada’s Kira’s spokesperson, it isn’t a stretch to assume these people are Kira supporters, too. Somehow, he doubts they’ll want to listen to reason or make any kind of negotiations. They’re armed, too. All Matt has is his stupid flare gun.

He sighs in defeat. It’s all over for him. He sees no way out of this, not one that ensures he makes it out alive. He puts the car in gear, foot on accelerator. He has no choice. He’s going to have to do it. He looks in the rear-view mirror and notices just two cars behind him. It’s the best chance he’s got, if any.

“Get out of the car!” One of the men shouts out.

Matt releases the clutch and turns the car around sharply, facing the two cars that were previously behind him. He doesn’t waste a second more. He speeds the car straight through the two cars blocking his path, silently praying he’s not killing anyone. He’s not a killer. The two men in front of the respective cars have a split second to jump out of his way. Matt’s car crashes straight through the two cars, but he never lets go of the accelerator. He keeps going forward, trying to put as much distance between him and the people behind him. His car suffers severe damage, but miraculously, it’s still going.

He keeps driving, hoping to find an opening to escape their pursuit. He continues speeding, even when he feels his car protesting. He can’t stop now, not when he managed to narrowly escape death. He won’t lie, he feels exhilarated. He feels the same way he usually does when he plays a particularly challenging video game. He just needs the car to keep going, just until he makes it back to their hideout. He looks in the rear-view mirror to see if he’s still being pursued. He sees cars moving behind him, but they’re not the ones chasing him. He sees people walking around, like there’s nothing amiss.

He smiles to himself. He’s managed to lose them.

* * *

For as long as he can remember, Mello has always tried to figure out Near’s behavior. He never quite understood how someone could be so apathetic, so detached from everything. How was it that the boy never showed any emotion? It always baffled Mello.

He may have not had the most cordial interaction with Near, but even with all that fighting, Mello eventually learnt to discern Near’s expressions. He had developed a sensitivity to even the slightest movements, anything that betrayed any kind of emotion. It was how he tried to read Near, what the boy was thinking at any given time, or feeling at any given time.

So when Mello’s just about to lift his helmet completely off, he notices something. He notices the slight shift in Takada’s eyes, the slight glimmer of…anticipation? He can’t really say. But he knows there’s a slight twinge of something other than fear in her. And it appeared just as he was about to take his helmet off.

 _She’s Kira’s spokesperson_ , Mello thinks to himself. _It’s not unreasonable to think she can try and kill me, too_. He feels a sudden sense of self-preservation take over. He lets go of the helmet, leaving it in place, covering his face. He’s not going to make the mistake of underestimating her. Mello knows he’s going to have to do something drastic, considering the success of his plan hinges on the fact that Kira thinks he’s out of the way. He knows Kira will try to eliminate him through Takada, and then he’ll try to get rid of Takada. It’s the expected thing, anyway. It’s what Kira did before, in order to get rid of any kind of evidence against him. It’s what he’ll do again. This time, though, Mello is determined to outsmart him. This time, he’s not going to be impulsive. He’s going to try and play this smart.

“Take off your clothes, everything you’re wearing.” He orders, pointing his gun at Takada. He then leans over and picks up a white blanket, coated in dust. He shakes the dust off a little and raises it in front of Takada. “You can use this to cover yourself.”

Takada remains frozen. She was sure he’d take his helmet off. How will this work now? She has the page, but without seeing his face, it’s going to be of no use. Did he see through her? She was so careful, she didn’t let anything show. She’s certain she didn’t show any hint of emotion. Then…why? He wants her to undress, which means he suspects her. He’s not as impulsive as Light painted him out to be. Takada almost curses Light inwardly, because he never gave her a solution, should she find herself in this situation instead.

“Go on.” Mello snaps at her.

Takada’s fingers tremble slightly as she reaches to unbutton her coat. She takes it off and moves to take off her blouse. Once she’s only in her underwear, she looks up at Mello. She notices with some surprise that he has his head turned to the side, letting her retain some sense of dignity. She almost expected him to be looking at her lecherously, entertaining thoughts of molesting her. She briefly considers the idea that this could have been a lot worse. Immediately, she shuts those thoughts out. She’s not thinking straight. It already is worse. He’s seen through her, he knows what she’s been considering doing, and now she’s going to die.

“Can I please get the blanket before I take off my underwear?” She asks softly, her voice trembling. She’s trying to hold back her tears. Crying doesn’t befit someone like her, someone of her status. She’s supposed to be a dignified woman. She’s not supposed to be standing half naked in front of man, begging him to let her keep her dignity. _This is all because of Light_ , Takada thinks bitterly. She can’t help it. As much as she agrees with Kira’s ideals, when it comes down to it, she doesn’t deserve this. She deserves to be treated with respect, not as some kind of bait.

She almost expects Mello to refuse, so she’s surprised when he hands over the blanket to her. “Fine, whatever.” He says.

Takada turns around and wraps the blanket around her, then slowly proceeds to lose the last bit of clothing she has on her. Before she lets her bra slide off, though, she pulls out the folded page of the death note she had hidden there. Once all her clothes are on the floor, Takada securely fastens the blanket around her. She notices Mello slide an empty basket towards her. “Put your clothes in there.” He instructs.

Takada obliges. She makes sure the page is clutched tightly within her palm, careful not to let Mello get a glimpse at it. Even if he has her plan figured out, she’s still going to be careful. She has to be ready for any window of opportunity she can find. If Mello finds the paper, it’s all over for her. She’ll not even have a fighting chance then.

Once she’s done putting the clothes inside, she stands up and faces Mello once more. Mello brings his free palm forward. Takada looks at his palm in confusion.

.......

Mello isn’t lying when he says he notices even the slightest of actions. Near has trained him very well, without even realizing it. He decides to give Takada her privacy as she takes her clothes off. When she asks him if she can use the blanket before stripping entirely, he doesn’t think to refuse. He’s not a pervert by any means. Truth be told, he’s hardly interested in Takada that way. His only focus here is to ensure things go as planned. Trivial things such as women do not concern him. They never did. He never really got a break from his thoughts of defeating Near to even entertain any others.

When Takada bends down to put the clothes in the basket he pushed towards her, he notices her right fist clench visibly. At first glance, it appears as an action meant to convey frustration. Her face, however, only betrays fear. He sees nothing but fear in her face. She’s too scared to even consider being frustrated. He notices the way she’s careful with her movements, the way she keeps squeezing her right fist. To anyone else, the action would go unnoticed. Not Mello, however. He notices it.

He stretches his hand forward, the one not holding the gun. He faces his palm upward, looking at her intently. She gives him a confused look. _So she’s going to be difficult about this, isn’t she?_

“Show me your hands.” He says. Takada doesn’t try to be strong now. She knows he’s got her. She lets the tears flow freely now. She still doesn’t do as he asks, though. Mello can feel his patience wearing thin now. He moves a few steps closer, close enough to press the barrel of the gun to her forehead. “I said, show me your hands.”

Takada shows him her left palm.

“The other one.” Mello says. He doesn’t have time for this. He won’t let this woman ruin things for him now. “Hurry up.”

Takada loosens her right fist, letting that one last hope of survival slip through her hand. She falls to her knees, and buries her face in her palms.

Mello bends down and picks the page up. He then proceeds to finally remove his helmet, allowing Takada to fully look at his face. He sees her look up at him, sees the look of horror on her face when she notices the ugly burn scar marring one side of his face. “Got a good look?” Mello asks, almost teasingly.

Takada doesn’t say anything. She leans her back against the wall, and brings her knees up to her chest. She’s lost. “Kill me.” She says hopelessly. She makes no move to stop the tears that now fall freely.

“Not yet.” Mello answers. He puts the gun back in its holster at his hip. He then lifts the page up for her to see. “I’m going to hold on to this. You’re going to have to do one last thing, before you die.”

“What do you mean?”

Mello doesn’t bother responding. He turns around and exits the truck, locking the door behind him. He then heads to the front of the cargo truck and opening the door, slides into the driver’s seat. He starts the truck and proceeds to drive to the church.

-x-

As he drives the short distance to his destination, Mello decides to turn on the small portable television that sits on the dashboard. He switches to a news channel, hoping for some kind of news on Matt. He knows they were chasing Matt, but did Matt manage to make it? He won’t be able to forgive himself if he didn’t. His eyes suddenly widen as he takes in the sight on the television. There’s a video footage of a car seemingly speeding right through two cars, the men just barely making it out of the way. He sees the way the two cars skid to the two extreme ends, crashing into the walls. He sees the car speeding out of there, and a dozen cars chasing after him.

 _Matt…you son of a bitch. How the fuck did you get out of that one?_ Mello’s obviously happy about it. The way the scene seemed to play out, it looked like Matt was cornered. Despite that, he managed to get out of there. For the first time in his life, Mello’s grateful for the amount of video games Matt has played. The boy would not have even considered this, had it not been for his apparent obsession with such moves in videogames. He lets himself smile a little.

He slows his truck down, having reached his destination. He parks the truck half way in and half way out of the Church’s main entrance. He then gets out of his seat and moves to open the back door of the truck. He steps inside and shuts the door behind him. Takada has her eyes shut. She’s no longer crying. When she hears the door open and shut, she instantly opens her eyes.

“Here’s what you’re going to do.” Mello says. He walks closer and pulling out the gun from his holster, he presses it against her temple. “Don’t even think of refusing.”

-x-

“Light,” Takada speaks into the phone, her voice cracking. “Light! Please save me!” She’s sobbing once more, the fear in her voice evident.

“Where are you, Miss Takada?” Light’s voice comes through the speaker. Takada looks up at Mello, his gun pointed at her. He pushes the barrel harder, emphasizing the imminent threat, should she not follow what he’s asked her to do.

“I, I don’t know.” She says. “I was put into a truck, which was locked from outside. But…but I did see a sign on the freeway, saying we were heading towards Nagano. Right now, we’re parked in…in some building.” Mello stands silently, observing the exchange.

“Miss Takada, you’re Kira’s spokesperson. You know there are going to be people who wish to hurt you for this reason. Do you remember what I’d told you to do, should such a situation arise?” Light says.

Takada’s eyes widen and so do Mello’s. She looks up at Mello once more. He nods at her. “Y…yes.” She answers.

“Did you do it?”

Takada glances at the blank page held in Mello’s hand. He smiles at her. He nods once more. Takada silently apologizes to Light for lying. “Y…yes, I did it.” She breaks down. “I did what you asked me to, Light!”

Mello smiles triumphantly. So he wasn’t wrong, after all.

“Do you remember what else I’d asked you to do?” Light’s voice suddenly breaks the momentary silence.

“Yes. I’ll do it.” Takada answers quietly. She then puts her dignity aside once more, this time keeping her eyes fixated on Mello as she says, “Please save me! Please just come and get me, Light!”

“I will.” Light answers. The line then goes dead.

Takada looks at her phone. How will she pull this off? She doesn’t have the page with her, and there’s no way Mello would hand it to her.

“What else did he ask you to do?” Mello asks after a moment.

Takada looks down to her knees. “I’m supposed to kill as many criminals as I can.”

“Do it, then.” Mello says. She looks up, confused. “I’ll be watching the names you write. If you make one wrong move, I’ll shoot. If you want to make it out alive, this is your only shot at it. You follow what I say, and I won’t shoot.”

Takada nods. She dials the number she’s all too familiar with. After a few rings, when the phone’s answered, she says, “Mikami, send me the list of names. My email id is…”

-x-

Takada keeps the page on the floor, writing the names Mikami has sent her. She can feel Mello towering over her, keeping a close eye on the names she’s writing. One slip and she’ll die. She can’t die now. Light’s coming to save her, she has to simply count on Mello’s word that he won’t shoot her before that. She’ll let Light handle Mello when he comes. She keeps writing the names down until she suddenly stops.

Her mind goes blank as she slowly stands up. Mello looks at her, perplexed. She doesn’t seem to notice him. Instead, she heads straight for the can of gasoline that sits in the corner.

Instinctively, Mello realizes what’s going on. Just like the last time, Kira is getting rid of any evidence against him. So that was his plan all along. He was going to use Takada to kill him, and then he’d kill her. _How convenient_ , Mello thinks with disgust.

Mello, now certain that she won’t be bothering with him, picks up the page from the floor and stuffs it into his pocket. He then opens the door. He gets on his bike, starting the engine, just as Takada pours the gasoline on herself. Mello puts his helmet on and heads straight out of the truck, just as Takada lights a match that sets her on fire.

He hears her screams, but he doesn’t have much time. He speeds off, trying to put in as much distance as possible between him and the church.

A while later, Lidner arrives, along with the rest, at the church, watching the building go up in flames, the truck sticking out half way through the entrance. She feels a sudden pang as she realizes what just happened.

_Mello…_

* * *

“It was all thanks to Mello.” Near’s voice cuts across the unending silence. He sits in the center of the warehouse, answering Light’s unasked question. “Knowing you, that’s all you need to figure out the rest, don’t you?”

Light stares at Near in shock. How does Mello figure into all this? What did he do?

“When Mello kidnapped Takada,” Near explains, “Mikami decided to bring out the real notebook. The one he had hidden in the safety deposit box. He broke his routine, just to make sure Takada doesn’t get in the way. Do you understand now, Light Yagami?”

Light doesn’t know what to say. He waits for Near to continue.

“We wouldn’t have realized the possibility of a fake, if it wasn’t for Mello. You would’ve probably won, if not for him.” Near goes silent for a moment.

“Mello knew…” Lidner speaks softly, breaking the silence that has settled once more. “I told him about your plan. He knew this would happen, didn’t he?”

“Mello might not have had everything planned out, I guess. He was just trying to get ahead of me.” Near says. “But even if he couldn’t surpass me…” His voice falters. Lidner, Rester and Gevanni don’t bother hiding their surprise at Near’s inability to continue his sentence. It’s uncharacteristic for Near to hesitate while he speaks.

“You started without me, Near?” A sharp voice cuts through.

Near’s eyes widen for a split second as he glances at the warehouse entrance. Mello stands at the entrance. He holds a bar of chocolate in his hand, the foil halfway down. He breaks a piece off from it with his teeth.

......

 _It was all thanks to Mello_. Those words halt Mello in his tracks. He’s about to barge in, claiming his victory, knowing for a fact that Near would try to steal his credit. This admission from the white haired boy freezes him in place. He hears Near admitting to Mello’s contribution in all this, the admittance that Near would’ve lost, if it weren’t for him. He doesn’t understand. Near is supposed to be his rival. He’s supposed to be happy that he won, he’s supposed to be emphasizing Mello’s defeat in all this. Isn’t that what’s supposed to ideally happen?

He hears Near’s voice falter. His eyes, if it’s possible, widen even further in amazement. For Near, the fact that he’s faltering like that, it’s akin to him having an obvious emotional breakdown. It might not seem like much to anyone who doesn’t know Near. But for someone like Mello, who knows Near almost as well as he knows himself, he recognizes this as one of Near’s rare show of emotions. What’s going on?

He needs to get a hold of himself. It doesn’t matter. Near just said Mello couldn’t surpass him. _What a joke_ , Mello thinks bitterly. He’s the reason Near has his definite evidence, doesn’t he? He finally steps inside, and says, “You started without me, Near?”

The look of complete shock on Near’s face makes him smirk. “It’s rather unfair Near,” he says, “considering you’d probably be dead without me.”

Just like that, Near puts on his mask once more. The brief emotions he saw flitting through his eyes are gone, replaced only by a blank expression. “I thought you were dead.”

Mello can hear the question hidden within that statement. “I’m not, Near. I’m alive and well. I told you I’d be waiting for you, didn’t I?”

Lidner steps forward, her eyes trained on Mello. There’s a look of disbelief, yet relief in her eyes. “Mello, you’re alive.” She states.

Mello doesn’t respond. He looks at Near, who’s now twirling a strand of hair around his finger. He walks over to him and reaching into his pocket, he hands over the page he’s been keeping carefully. Near looks up at it and takes it, inspecting the page. “Is this…?” He asks.

Mello nods. “I was almost done for.” He answers.

“And Matt?” Near asks after a moment.

“He made it, too.”

Near simply nods. He then smirks a little. “Like it or not, you and I ended up working together, after all.”

Mello frowns and looks away. He’ll be damned if he agrees outright. He likes to think this was his doing alone, but he knows that’s not true. He’d not even considered the fake notebook when he decided to carry out his plan. All he cared about was winning against Near. Conversely, if he didn’t do what he’d done, Near himself wouldn’t have considered the possibility of the notebook being fake. Loathe as he is to admit it, without the other, both of them would likely be dead.

“Well, Mello?” Near says. Mello looks at him. He knows Near’s waiting for him to agree, he’s waiting for Mello to join him. Mello envisioned this moment a lot of times, but never once has he ever imagined this moment with Near by his side. It feels weird to him. He doesn’t want to work with Near, yet at the same time, what else is there to do? Near is right, after all. The two of them did, albeit unintentionally, work together on this case. Together, they’ve managed to accomplish what L couldn’t.

He takes a deep breath and looks straight at Light Yagami.

“Just this once, only once, Near, let’s bring this asshole down. Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first ever Death Note fanfic, and my first ever time posting here. This idea basically stemmed from me asking myself one question, over and over. What if Mello hadn't let Takada see his face? Would things be different? What could the following events transpire like? What if Matt had managed to somehow get out of there?  
> I hope the characterization didn't suck too bad, and if some events seemed implausible or something, I apologize. I tried to put a lot of thought into it, and this is the best I could come up with.
> 
> P.S Also, if anyone's wondering, for the Matt thing, I sort of made use of the anime scene instead. You know, where there were literally only two cars behind Matt, and he could have very easily gotten out alive if he'd just reversed? Yeah. So consider the anime setting for that.
> 
> Feedback is appreciated :D


End file.
